Search

Regiodivergent transition metal-catalyzed B(4)- and C(1)-selenylation reactions of o-carboranes have been demonstrated.

A Cu-based catalyst system convergently couples

This Claisen rearrangement establishes the feasibility of DyKAT of γ-epimeric enals via dienamine formation to afford enantioenriched products. γ-Aryl and -alkyl enals, and exocyclic enals that introduce quaternary centers, are all amenable substrates. Products are readily converted into pyrrolidines or cyclopentenols. Notably, a reactive dienamine intermediate has been isolated from a catalytic reaction, fully characterized, and converted to product upon reexposure to reaction conditions. Product configuration arises from a directing C-H···π interaction in the transition state.

A mechanistic investigation into the origins of the regio- and chemoselectivities observed in iron/pyridine dialdimine (PDAI)-catalyzed intermolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition reactions of terminal al...

A novel strategy for the stereospecific Pd-catalyzed acylative cross-coupling of enantiomerically enriched alkylboron compounds has been developed. The protocol features an extremely high level of enantiospecificity to allow facile access to synthetically challenging and valuable chiral ketones and carboxylic acid derivatives. The use of a sterically encumbered and electron-rich phosphine ligand proved to be crucial for the success of the reaction. Furthermore, based on experimental and computational studies, a unique mechanism for the transmetalation of the C(sp3)-based organoboron reagent has been identified. Furthermore, based on experimental and computational studies, a unique mechanism for the transmetalation of the C(sp3)-based organoboron reagent has been identified.

A formal haloalkynylation of allenamides has been described for the synthesis of highly stereo- and regioselective skipped halo enynes. Exclusive γ-regioselectivity is achieved through the intermediacy of a conjugated N-tosyliminium intermediate-direct evidence for the formation of which was validated by NMR and HRMS. Quantum mechanical computations reveal that the reactive intermediate geometry is key to controlling the 1,2- or 1,4-regioselectivity of alkyne interception. Divergent access to elusive unsaturated systems has also been reported.

PdII/CuI co-catalyze an arylation reaction of gem-difluoroalkenes using arylsulfonyl chlorides to deliver α,α-difluorobenzyl products. The reaction proceeds through a β,β-difluoroalkyl–Pd intermediate that typically undergoes unimolecular β-F elimination to deliver monofluorinated alkene products in a net C–F functionalization reaction. However to avoid β-F elimination, we offer the β,β-difluoroalkyl–Pd intermediate an alternate low-energy route involving β-H elimination to ultimately deliver difluorinated products in a net arylation/isomerization sequence. Overall, this reaction enables exploration of new reactivities of unstable fluorinated alkyl–metal species, while also providing new opportunities for transforming readily available fluorinated alkenes into more elaborate substructures., PdII/CuI co-catalyze a desulfitative arylation of aliphatic gem-difluoroalkenes in a radical arylation/migratory insertion sequence that avoids β-F elimination.

Metal-free hydrocarboxylation of allenamides with various functionalized carboxylic acids were achieved with complete regio- and stereocontrol (>49:1). This environmentally compatible transformation affords γ-acyloxyenamides with exclusive E-selectivity. Electron rich, electron poor, aliphatic, aryl, and heterocyclic carboxylic acids all gave excellent yields (avg. 89 %, 47 examples). We demonstrate the synthetic potential of this transformation in the late-stage modification of complex natural carboxylic acids and simple modification of the products to three-carbon synthons with ample opportunity for further diversification. DFT studies revealed that the reaction occurs in a stepwise manner through the intermediacy of a conjugated iminum species, which is rapidly captured by the carboxylate ion, resulting in the observed linear selectivity.

Transition metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization and decarboxylative coupling are two of the most notable synthetic strategies developed in the last 30 years. Herein, we connect these two reaction pathways using bases and a simple Pd-based catalyst system to promote a para-selective C–H functionalization reaction from benzylic electrophiles. Experimental and computational mechanistic studies suggest a pathway involving an uncommon Pd-catalyzed dearomatization of the benzyl moiety followed by a base-enabled rearomatization through a formal 1,5-hydrogen migration. This reaction complements “C–H activation” strategies that convert inert C–H bonds into C–metal bonds prior to C–C bond formation. Instead, this reaction exploits an inverted sequence and promotes C–C bond formation prior to deprotonation. These studies provide an opportunity to develop general para-selective C–H functionalization reactions from benzylic electrophiles and show how new reactive modalities may be accessed with careful control of reaction conditions., Graphical Abstract

Red and near-infrared (NIR) phosphorescent double-decker dinuclear Pt(II) complexes were synthesized, and their structural and spectroscopic properties were characterized. The Pt(II) complexes, which are composed of achiral ligands and are themselves chiral, were shown to exist as racemic mixtures using single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The Pt(II) complexes have different intramolecular Pt-Pt distances that are governed by the electronic characteristics of the component C^N ligands. Specifically, strengthening of π-back-donation between Pt(II) and N atom of the C^N ligand leads to shortening of the Pt-Pt distance. The results of both experimental and computational investigations show that the Pt-Pt distances in the dinuclear Pt(II) complexes significantly influence the band gap energies and corresponding emission wavelengths. Consequently, the uncovered C^N ligand based method to finely control intramolecular Pt-Pt distances in dinuclear Pt(II) complexes can be utilized as a guideline for the design of the double-decker dinuclear Pt(II) complexes with red and NIR tuned phosphorescence.

A highly stereo- and regiocontrolled multicomponent approach to skipped 1,4-dienes decorated with one boryl and two silyl functionalities is described. This Pd-catalyzed atom-economical union of allenamides, alkynes, and Me

The research leading to these results has received funding from the ERC under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/E.R.C. grant agreement n° 279850. A.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award. We thank the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility at Swansea University. P.H.-Y.C. is the Bert and Emelyn Christensen Professor and gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Stone Family of OSU. Financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (CHE-1352663) is acknowledged. D.M.W. acknowledges the Bruce Graham and Johnson Fellowships of OSU. D.M.W. and P.H.-Y.C. acknowledge computing infrastructure in part provided by the NSF Phase-2 CCI, Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CHE-1102637). The full scope and limitations of the catalytic acylative kinetic resolution of a range of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols (78 examples, s up to >200) is reported under operationally-simple conditions, using low loadings of a commercially available Lewis basic isothiourea catalyst, HyperBTM (generally 1 mol %). The protocol is highly effective for the kinetic resolution of 3-substituted 3-hydroxyoxindole and α-substituted α-hydroxylactam derivatives bearing up to three potential recognition motifs at the stereogenic tertiary carbinol center. The full power of this methodology has been showcased through the synthesis of highly enantioenriched biologically-active target compounds in both enantiomeric forms. To provide further insight into the reaction mechanism, a detailed kinetic analysis of this Lewis base-catalyzed acylation of tertiary alcohols is reported using the variable time normalization analysis (VTNA) method. Postprint

Herein, we report hydrolysis and condensation chemistries of C4H9SnCl3 to molecular clusters and gel films. Precursor speciation plays a key role in film formation and quality toward realization of atomically smooth surfaces. Density functional theory investigations of C4H9SnCl3 and its reactions show that hydrolysis of the dimer (C4H9Sn)2(OH)2Cl4(H2O)2 has a high energetic penalty in the gas phase and when using a polarizable continuum solvation model based on density. These computations support our observed stability of the dimeric cluster in air, in various solvents, and through initial film deposition. It hydrolyzes and condenses to the [(C4H9Sn)12O14(OH)6]2+ dodecamer on-chip after a post film-deposition bake at 80 °C. Consequently, film surface smoothness is uniquely retained through on-wafer condensation.

A palladium-catalyzed C–H activation of acetylated anilines (acetanilides, 1,1-dimethyl-3-phenylurea, 1-phenylpyrrolidin-2-one, and 1-(indolin-1-yl)ethan-1-one) with epoxides using O-coordinating directing groups was accomplished. This C–H alkylation reaction proceeds via formation of a previously unknown 6,4-palladacycle intermediate and provides rapid access to regioselectively functionalized β-hydroxy products. Notably, this catalytic system is applicable for the gram scale mono-functionalization of acetanilide in good yields. The palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of the ortho-C(sp2) atom of O-coordinating directing groups with a C(sp3) carbon of chiral epoxides offers diverse substrate scope in good to excellent yields. In addition, further transformations of the synthesized compound led to biologically important heterocycles. Density functional theory reveals that the 6,4-palladacycle leveraged in this work is significantly more strained (>10 kcal mol−1) than the literature known 5,4 palladacycles., The combined experimental and computational study on palladium-catalyzed regioselective C–H functionalization of O-coordinating directing groups with epoxides is described.

The development of a π-stacking-based approach for increased stereoselectivity in Sharpless asymmetric and diastereomeric dihydroxylation of cis-enynes is disclosed. The use of neighboring, electron-rich benzoate esters proved key to the success of this process. Density functional theory study suggests that the substrate benzoate ester group rigidifies the dihydroxylation transition states by forming a favorable π-stacking interaction in both Major-TS and Minor-TS. The energetic preference for the Major-TS was found in part because of the favorable eclipsing conformation of the alkene substituent as opposed to the disfavored bisecting conformation found in the Minor-TS. The application to a second-generation synthesis of the C15-C24 northern portion of mandelalide A is demonstrated.

Single-electron N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis has gained attention recently for the synthesis of C-C bonds. Guided by density functional theory and mechanistic analyses, we report the light-driven synthesis of aliphatic and α-amino ketones using single-electron NHC operators. Computational and experimental results reveal that the reactivity of the key radical intermediate is substrate-dependent and can be modulated through steric and electronic parameters of the NHC. Catalyst potential is harnessed in the visible-light driven generation of an acyl azolium radical species that undergoes selective coupling with various radical partners to afford diverse ketone products. This methodology is showcased in the direct late-stage functionalization of amino acids and pharmaceutical compounds, highlighting the utility of single-electron NHC operators.

Enantioselective additions to oxocarbenium ions are high-value synthetic transformations but have proven challenging to achieve. In particular, the oxa-Pictet–Spengler reaction has only recently been rendered enantioselective. We report experimental and computational studies on the mechanism of this unusual transformation. Herein we reveal that this reaction is hypothesized to proceed through a self-assembled ternary hydrogen bonding complex involving the substrate, chiral phosphate ion, and a urea hydrogen-bond donor. The computed transition state reveals C2-symmetric grooves in the chiral phosphate that are occupied by the urea and substrate. Occupation of one of these grooves by the urea co-catalyst tunes the available reactive volume and enhances the stereoselectivity of the chiral phosphate catalyst., A new model for the cooperative catalytic oxa-Pictet–Spengler reaction is disclosed. Supporting spectroscopic, kinetic, and computational quantum mechanics studies permit the rationalization of the reaction's observed enantioselectivity.

A formal haloalkynylation of allenamides has been described for the synthesis of highly stereo- and regioselective skipped halo enynes. Exclusive γ-regioselectivity is achieved through the intermediacy of a conjugated

Herein, the synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted benzenoid rings, motifs found in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and natural products, is described.[1] In the past, the regioselective syntheses of such compounds have been a significant challenge. This work reports a method using substituted arynes derived from aryl(Mes)iodonium salts to access a range of densely functionalized 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted benzenoid rings. Significantly, it was found that halide substituents are compatible under these conditions, enabling post-synthetic elaboration via palladium-catalyzed coupling. This concise strategy is predicated on two regioselective events: 1) ortho- deprotonation of aryl(Mes)iodonium salts to generate a substituted aryne intermediate, and 2) regioselective trapping of said arynes, thereby improving previously reported reaction conditions to generate arynes at room temperature and in shorter reaction times. Density functional theory (DFT) computations and linear free energy relationship (LFER) analysis suggest the regioselectivity of deprotonation is influenced by both proximal and distal ring substituents on the aryne precursor. A competition experiment further reveals the role of arene substituents on relative reactivity of aryl(Mes)iodoniums as aryne precursors.

A single-electron transfer mediated modular indole formation reaction from a 2-iodoaniline derivative and a ketone has been developed. This transition-metal-free reaction shows a broad substrate scope and unconventional regioselectivity trends. Moreover, important functional groups for further transformation are tolerated under the reaction conditions. Density functional theory studies reveal that the reaction proceeds by metal coordination, which converts a disfavored 5-endo-trig cyclization to an accessible 7-endo-trig process.

The sub-gap density of states of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide ($a$-IGZO) is obtained using the ultrabroadband photoconduction (UBPC) response of thin-film transistors (TFTs). Density functional theory simulations classify the origin of the measured sub-gap density of states peaks as a series of donor-like oxygen vacancy states and acceptor-like Zn vacancy states. Donor peaks are found both near the conduction band and deep in the sub-gap, with peak densities of $10^{17}-10^{18}$ cm$^{-3}$eV$^{-1}$. Two deep acceptor-like metal vacancy peaks with peak densities in the range of $10^{18}$ cm$^{-3}$eV$^{-1}$ and lie adjacent to the valance band Urbach tail region at 2.0 to 2.5 eV below the conduction band edge. By applying detailed charge balance, we show increasing the density of metal vacancy deep-acceptors strongly shifts the $a$-IGZO TFT threshold voltage to more positive values. Photoionization (h$��$ > 2.0 eV) of metal vacancy acceptors is one cause of transfer curve hysteresis in $a$-IGZO TFTs owing to longer recombination lifetimes as they get captured into acceptor-like vacancies., 31 pages, 5 figures, supplementary section included

We have rationally designed and synthesized a library of phosphaquinolinone derivatives containing various electron-donating and -withdrawing groups on two positions of the scaffold. Distinct trends are observed between the substituents on R1 and R2 with both the photophysical properties of the molecules and their dimerization strengths. With withdrawing groups upon the scaffold, dimerization constants surpass 500 M−1 in H2O-saturated CDCl3. Computational studies on the dimeric structures corroborate the experimental findings.

Supramolecular anion receptors can be used to study the molecular recognition properties of the reactive yet biologically-critical hydrochalcogenide anions (HCh(–)). Achieving selectivity for HCh(–) over the halides is challenging but is necessary for not only developing future supramolecular probes for HCh(–) binding and detection, but also for understanding the fundamental properties that govern these binding and recognition events. Here we demonstrate that linear free energy relationships (LFERs)—including Hammett and Swain-Lupton plots—reveal a clear difference in sensitivity to the polarity of an aryl C–H hydrogen bond (HB) donor for HS(–) over other HCh(–) and halides. Analysis using electrostatic potential maps highlights that this difference in sensitivity results from a preference of the aryl C–H HB donor for HS(–) in this host scaffold. From this study, we demonstrate that LFERs are a powerful tool to gain interpretative insight into motif design for future anion-selective supramolecular receptors and highlight the importance of C–H HB donors for HS(–) recognition. From our results, we suggest that aryl C–H HB donors should be investigated in the next generation of HS(–) selective receptors based on the enhanced HS(–) selectivity over other competing anions in this system.

Amorphous semiconducting transparent oxides like InGaZnO4 (a-IGZO) have a broad distribution of metal and oxygen vacancy defects that determine thin film transistor (TFT) characteristics and impact device reliability metrics such as hysteresis. Here, we demonstrate how hydrogen modifies the density of states (DoS) through a novel on-chip method that spectrally resolves trap concentration in a-IGZO spanning the bandgap. Requiring laser energies continuously tunable from 0:26 to 3:1 eV, this method also employs difference frequency generation to access shallow states near the conduction band. We characterize the effect of hydrogen incorporation on the sub-gap peaks of the DoS of an a-IGZO TFT. Specifically, our data suggests hydrogen hybridizes with vacancy defects through metal-hydrogen (M-H) bonds that passivate oxygen vacancy sites and O-H bonds that passivate metal vacancy sites. These interactions result in a suppression of oxygen vacancy and metal vacancy- related trap states in the sub-gap and an enhancement of a metal-hydrogen bonding peak near the VBM. Temperature dependent, photon energy-dependent hysteresis, and transient defect lifetime measurements further reveal the strong impact of hydrogen concentration on a-IGZO TFT performance germane to current optical display technology.

The first highly selective catalytic hydroboration of alkyl-substituted aldimines to provide medicinally relevant α-amidoboronates is disclosed. The Cu(I)-catalyzed borylation proceeds with excellent facial selectivity when a set of planar-chiral N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) were employed as ligands. Density functional theory computations suggest that interactions between BPin and the planar-chiral catalyst are responsible for the observed stereoselectivity. Important pharmacophores, such as the boronate analogue of isoleucine, can be prepared using a chromatography-free protocol starting from commercially available reagents. The application of these NHC ligands in these Cu(I)-catalyzed processes offers a significant contribution to existing strategies for laboratory-scale preparation of enantioenriched α-amidoboronates.

The research leading to these results has received funding from the ERC under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/E.R.C. grant agreement n° 279850 and the EPSRC (EP/J500549/1). A.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award. P.H.-Y.C. is the Bert and Emelyn Christensen Professor and gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Stone Family of OSU. Financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (CHE-1352663) is acknowledged. D.M.W. acknowledges the Bruce Graham and Johnson Fellowships of OSU. D.M.W. and P.H.-Y.C. acknowledge computing infrastructure in part provided by the NSF Phase-2 CCI, Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CHE-1102637). A combination of experimental and computational studies have identified a C=O•••isothiouronium interaction as key to efficient enantiodiscrimination in the kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols bearing up to three potential recognition motifs at the stereogenic tertiary carbinol center. This discrimination was exploited in the isothiourea-catalyzed acylative kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols (38 examples, s factors up to > 200). The reaction proceeds at low catalyst loadings (generally 1 mol %) with either isobutyric or acetic anhydride as the acylating agent under mild conditions Postprint

The oxidative potential (OP) of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to organic content, which includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The OP of 135 individual PAHs (including six subclasses) was measured using the dithiolthreitol (DTT) consumption assay. The DTT assay results were used to compute the concentration of each PAH needed to consume 50% of the DTT concentration in the assay (DTT50), and the reduction potential of the PAHs (ΔGrxn). Computed reduction potential results were found to match literature reduction potential values (r2 = 0.97), while DTT50 results had no correlations with the computed ΔGrxn values (r2

Since the first report of a facile, room temperature process to access aza-ortho-quinone methides (aoQMs) by Corey in 1999, this chemistry has remained dormant until our report of an enantioselective catalytic example in 2014. We report a theoretical and experimental study of the key to success behind these successful examples to enable broader exploitation of this useful intermediate. We have discovered that transformations involving the aoQM are remarkably facile with barriers 30 kcal/mol), precluding their formation under mild conditions. The use of Cs2CO3 as base is critical. It provides a thermodynamically and kinetically favorable means to form aoQMs, independent of the salt solubility and base strength. The exothermic formation of salt byproducts provides a driving force (average ΔG = −30.8 kcal/mol) compensating for the majority of the inherent unfavorable thermodynamics of aoQM formation.

© 2017 American Chemical Society. The measurement of a deuterium equilibrium isotope effect (EIE) for the aryl CH···Cl-interaction of anion receptor 1H/1D is reported. Computations corroborate the results of solution measurements for a small, normal EIE in the full complex (KaH/KaD= 1.019 ± 0.010). Interestingly, isotope effects involving fragments of the anion receptor (urea, aryl ring, etc.) are predicted to produce an inverse effect. This points to an unusual and subtle structural organization effect of the anion receptor complex that changes the nature of the combined interactions to a normal isotope effect. The reversal of EIE values suggests that overall architecture of the anion receptor can dramatically impact the nature of bonding in these complexes.

Neutron total scattering measurements were conducted on MgTiO3, CaTiO3, SrTiO3, and BaTiO3 to simultaneously investigate the local and average structure of these materials. The local structures of MgTiO3, CaTiO3, and SrTiO3 were well modelled using the refined average structural models: trigonal R$$\bar{3}$$3¯, orthorhombic Pbnm, and cubic Pm$$\bar{3}$$3¯m respectively. However the local structure for BaTiO3, at both temperatures where the average structure is orthorhombic Amm2 and tetragonal P4mm, was best described by the rhombohedral R3m model. Only the R3m model was able to account for the observed displacement of titanium in the [111] direction. Furthermore, box-car type refinements were conducted. These refinements show that the coherence length of the rhombohedral distortion is around 10 Å, at larger r-ranges the local distortions become misaligned and average out to Amm2 and P4mm.

We would like to thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, University of St Andrews, and the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Critical Resource Catalysis (CRITICAT) for financial support [Ph.D. studentship to E.M.; Grant code: EP/L016419/1]. A.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award. We also thank the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility at Swansea University. PHYC gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Bert and Emelyn Christensen and Vicki & Patrick F. Stone families. PHYC, MAG, TF, ACB, and DW acknowledge the National Science Foundation (NSF, CHE-1352663). TF acknowledges Summer Fellowship Award from the department of Chemistry at OSU. Axially chiral phenols are attractive targets in organic synthesis. This motif is central to many natural products and widely used as precursors to, or directly, as chiral ligands and catalysts. Despite their utility few simple catalytic methods are available for their synthesis in high enantiopurity. Herein the atropselective acylation of a range of symmetric biaryl diols is investigated using isothiourea catalysis. Studies on a model biaryl diol substrate shows that the high product er observed in the process is a result of two successive enantioselective reactions consisting of an initial enantioselective desymmetrization coupled with a second chiroablative kinetic resolution. Extension of this process to a range of substrates, including a challenging tetraorthosubstituted biaryl diol, led to highly enantioenriched products (14 examples, up to 98:2 er), with either HyperBTM or BTM identified as the optimal catalyst depending upon the substitution pattern within the substrate. Computation has been used to understand the factors that lead to high enantiocontrol in this process, with maintenance of planarity to maximize a 1,5‐S•••O interaction within the key acyl ammonium intermediate identified as the major feature that determines atropselective acylation and thus product enantioselectivity. Postprint

We describe a strategy for the iodane-guided functionalization of sterically congested C-H bonds, which is distinct from electronic, steric or proximity guided C-H functionalization methods. Readily accessible aryl(Mes)iodonium salts serve as the starting materials in these reactions and produce complex 1,2,3,4-substituted arenes via aryne intermediates. This approach is especially powerful when coupled with the innate C-H functionalization reactivity of simple arenes, to replace two C-H bonds with two C-C or C-heteroatom bonds while over-riding steric effects that typically inhibit such reactions. DFT stud-ies reveal a contribution of inductive, resonance, and steric effects on the regioselectivity of C-H cleavage and aryne generatation.

The manuscript describes a Pd-catalyzed reaction of benzylic electrophiles that gives para-substituted arene products. Mechanistic studies suggest a mechanism involving a dearomative C–C bond-forming step, followed by base-mediated rearomatization. This mechanism is uncommon and underappreciated in Pd-catalysis and further exploitation of this mechanism should enable access to other organic molecules.

Characterizing the chemical composition of organic aerosols can elucidate aging mechanisms as well as the chemical and physical properties of the aerosol. However, the high chemical complexity and often low atmospheric abundance present a difficult analytical challenge. Milligrams or more of material may be needed for speciated spectroscopic analysis. In contrast, mass spectrometry provides a very sensitive platform but limited structural information. Here, we combine the strengths of mass spectrometry and infrared (IR) action spectroscopy to generate characteristic IR spectra of individual, mass-isolated ion populations. Soft ionization combined with in situ infrared ion spectroscopy, using the tunable free-electron laser FELIX, provides detailed information on molecular structures and functional groups. We apply this technique, along with quantum mechanical modeling, to characterize organic molecules in secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed from the ozonolysis of alpha-pinene. Spectral overlap with a standard is used to identify cis-pinonic acid. We also demonstrate the characterization of isomers for multiple SOA products using both quantum mechanical computations and analyses of fragment ion spectra. These results demonstrate the detailed structural information on isolated ions obtained by combining mass spectrometry with fingerprint IR spectroscopy.

The research leading to these results (D.-J.B.A., T.H.W., A.D.S.) has received funding from the ERC under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/E.R.C. Grant Agreement No. 279850. A.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award. We also thank the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility at Swansea University. P.H.Y.C. is the Bert and Emelyn Christensen professor of OSU, and gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Vicki & Patrick F. Stone family. P.H.Y.C., A.C.B., D.M.W. and B.G.Y. gratefully acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation (NSF CHE-1352663) and the computing infrastructure in part provided by the NSF Phase-2 CCI, Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (NSF CHE-1102637). The enantioselective preparation of a range of perfluoroalkyl-substituted β-lactones through an isothiourea (HyperBTM) catalysed reaction using symmetric anhydrides as ammonium enolate precursors and perfluoroalkylketones (RF = CF3, C2F5, C4F9) is reported. Following optimisation, high diastereo- and enantioselectivty was observed for β-lactone formation using C2F5- and C4F9-substituted ketones at room temperature (26 examples, up to > 95:5 dr and > 99:1 er), whilst −78 ˚C was necessary for optimal dr and er with CF3-substituted ketones (11 examples, up to > 95:5 dr and > 99:1 er). Derivatisation of the β-lactones through ring-opening, as well as a two-step conversion to give perfluoroalkyl-substituted oxetanes, is demonstrated without loss of stereochemical integrity. Density functional theory computations, alongside 13C natural abundance KIE studies, have been used to probe the reaction mechanism with a concerted asynchronous [2 + 2]-cycloaddition pathway favoured over a stepwise aldol-lactonisation process. Publisher PDF

Seit den Anfangen der Totalsynthese und der retrosynthetischen Analyse haben Chemiker vielfaltige Grundprinzipien fur die Planung von Syntheseansatzen fur komplexe Naturstoffe entwickelt. Durch diese wegweisenden Arbeiten wurde es moglich, immer komplexere Verbindungen zu synthetisieren, indem zuvor gewonnenes Wissen in neuen Szenarien angewendet wurde. Die kurzlich isolierten Naturstoffe aus der Familie der Schinortriterpenoide fanden grose Aufmerksamkeit und dienten als exzellente Fallstudien, um das beim Aufbau von komplexen polycyclischen Gerusten erworbene Wissen zu erproben. In diesem Kurzaufsatz werden die Ansatze zur Synthese dieser Naturstoffe detailliert diskutiert und einander gegenubergestellt, im Speziellen unter Berucksichtigung der sechs veroffentlichten Totalsynthesen.

Since the pioneering days of total synthesis and retrosynthetic analysis, the community has embraced guiding principles for planning synthetic approaches towards complex natural products. These guideposts have enabled the community to synthesize ever more complex compounds by applying prior knowledge gained in new settings. The recently isolated schinortriterpenoid family of natural products has attracted considerable synthetic attention and provided a rich opportunity to evaluate the lessons learned in the construction of complex, polycyclic scaffolds. In this Minireview, a detailed discussion of the synthetic work within this family is provided, including the six reported total syntheses, as well as a comparative analysis of the approaches utilized in their construction.

The study of structural properties of amorphous structures is complicated by the lack of long-range order and necessitates the use of both cutting-edge computer modeling and experimental techniques. With regards to the computer modeling, many questions on convergence arise when trying to assess the accuracy of a simulated system. What cell size maximizes the accuracy while remaining computationally efficient? More importantly, does averaging multiple smaller cells adequately describe features found in bulk amorphous materials? How small is too small? The aims of this work are: (1) to report a newly developed set of pair potentials for InGaZnO4 and (2) to explore the effects of structural parameters such as simulation cell size and numbers on the structural convergence of amorphous InGaZnO4. The total number of formula units considered over all runs is found to be the critical factor in convergence as long as the cell considered contains a minimum of circa fifteen formula units. There is qualitative agreement between these simulations and X-ray total scattering data - peak trends and locations are consistently reproduced while intensities are weaker. These new IGZO pair potentials are a valuable starting point for future structural refinement efforts.

Invited for the cover of this issue is a group of researchers from the University of California Davis, Colgate–Palmolive Company, and Oregon State University. The image depicts aluminum ions as silver spheres, oxygen atoms as red spheres, carbon as black spheres, and nitrogen as green spheres. Hydrogen atoms were omitted for clarity. Read the full text of the article, which also includes insight on the other aluminum clusters that glycine stabilizes, at 10.1002/chem.201604640.

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are ubiquitous cysteine-based peroxidases that guard cells against oxidative damage, are virulence factors for pathogens, and are involved in eukaryotic redox regulatory pathways. We have analyzed catalytically active crystals to capture atomic resolution snapshots of a PrxQ-subfamily enzyme (from Xanthomonas campestris) proceeding through thiolate, sulfenate, and sulfinate species. These analyses provide structures of unprecedented accuracy for seeding theoretical studies, and show novel conformational intermediates giving insight into the reaction pathway. Based on a highly non-standard geometry seen for the sulfenate intermediate, we infer that the sulfenate formation itself can strongly promote local unfolding of the active site to enhance productive catalysis. Further, these structures reveal that preventing local unfolding, in this case via crystal contacts, results in facile hyperoxidative inactivation even for Prxs normally resistant to such inactivation. This supports previous proposals that conformation-specific inhibitors may be useful for achieving selective inhibition of Prxs that are drug targets.

The mechanistic exploration and an expanded experimental discussion of the organocatalyzed, asymmetric Pfau-d'Angelo reaction by exploiting a bifunctional 1° amine thiourea catalyst system is disclosed. Notable breadth in substrate scope has been demonstrated on both the cyclic ketone moiety and the α,β-unsaturated electrophile. Exploration into the matched and mismatched selectivity of this process with a ketone containing pre-existing stereocenters has been demonstrated. Computational analyses of the reaction mechanism are reported. In concert with kinetic isotope effect (KIE) experiments, these computational results provide a detailed understanding of the likely mechanism, including the aspects of the organocatalyst scaffold that are critical for stereoselectivity.